Active volcanoes and hot springs

We had great thoughts about how we must continue our further trip around the country. Interbus is privately owned and arranges transportation between cities - just as the local transport options. Lonely Planet warns much against theft around bus stations - especially the Coca Cola bus station in San Jose - and the buses en route. Destiantionen from San Jose to La Fortuna with Interbus cost 39 usd per person and takes about two hours. The local bus costs $ 4 per person and takes about 3.5 hours. We can not afford to spend Interbus, so will our trip be too expensive. Ergo, we took the local bus on to La Fortuna. Fortunately, the bus departed not from Coca Cola bus station, but from a second bus station, which was much smaller. To our delight, there was almost more tourists waiting at a bus than there were locals. We took our baggage into the bus and sat with the big rucksacks on their feet, so no skill when going to take more of our stuff:) It was a tough trip to La Fortuna, which is the town at the foot of the active volcano, Arenal. The road was incredibly twisted, so we were both just motion sickness. Lonely Planet writes that there are many people who constantly want to contact you to get you to their hostel or on their trip. It was now not at all bad. There were maybe only five people because we got off the bus. La Fortuna is a small, very nice city with great focus on tourists who come to see the active volcano Arenal, which has been active since 1968. There is no evidence of crime. You can go out at night in the city. There are no fences and lattice on the windows of the houses. People leave their doors open. Costa Rica has 111 volcanoes, of which 5 are active. In the days leading up to outbreak in 1968 had Arenal never shown signs of activity. The rain was thick and close around the entire volcano. A few weeks earlier was the cows started to stop drinking from the River. The volcano was beyndt to smolder, and the heat ran into the river, which made the water too warm for cows to drink. But people discovered too late. Suddenly Arenal erupted and formed three new craters along one side of the volcano. That means running lava down three sides - and it does still today. The town, La Fortuna, located at the fourth side of the volcano, located in the lee of the original kraterhul. In other cities killed 80 people there and many more animals of lava and toxic gases. 5 km from the Arenal seen huge holes made of stone, as the volcano threw away the outbreak. Today Arenal constantly suffered outbreaks. When there is quiet, you can hear how it "works" and hurls stones over the edge. In the evening see the glowing red against the night sky. Unfortunately, there are often clouds around the volcano because of the rain so visibility is often low. Arenal has also heated the surrounding rivers, which is 35 degrees. A free pleasure, which is nice to try the evening. During the day it is too hot to sit at 35-degree water while the air is just as hot. There are several hot springs in the area, but there are hotels built around them, so you have to pay to jump into these:) We bathed in the warm river at. 20 the evening of thunder dark. Only over swimsuits and a forehead lamp:) 20 years ago came the first tourist to La Fortuna. People had not seen this before, so they opened curiously their windows. Tourists arrival sparked our guides thinking. He is one of the survivors of the outbreak in 1968, when he was just 7 years old. Arenal is his "obsession". He has climbed the eight-fold. It is illegal, but fascinating volcano him. Therefore, he started 20 years ago to pick trails through the rainforest, so he could take tourists closer. He spent much time to explain about the rainforest - flora and fauna. Throughout the country there is a strong focus on conservation of the rainforest. Therefore, Costa Rica no military. They use the money instead on protecting nature and hospitals. Costa Rica is covered under U.S. military strength. In 2000, our guide in a rescue operation. 10 people were killed in Arenal. A helicopter had crashed. Nobody knows the exact cause. But Arenal is not reliable. Suddenly throwing it on with lava and rocks. Maybe hit a helicopter ... Due to massive clouds in the days after the crash, a rescue helicopter could not get up there and carry the bodies down. The survivors, families were anxious to get the dead down. Our guide told police that he at that time had been up at Arenal 5 times so he knew the road. He gathered together five groups of 10 men who went off to retrieve the 10 died down. It was a dangerous trip, but they had completed the mission and transported corpses down. We booked our trip through Gringo Petes. Highly recommended - our guide was called William. Only 21 usd per person. If visibility is poor up by the volcano, and you get not much to see, you can get free with the next day. A sort granti to get the sputtering volcano to see.